The Justice Department has charged two Chinese nationals with attempting to smuggle a harmful plant disease into the United States. The individuals, Yunqing Jian, a researcher at the University of Michigan and member of the Chinese Communist Party, and Zunyong Liu, her boyfriend employed by a Chinese university, are accused of planning to introduce Fusarium graminearum, a fungus classified as a potential agroterrorism weapon.
Congressman John Moolenaar commented on the charges: “The criminal charges unsealed in federal court show loyal members of the Chinese Communist Party were planning to experiment on a plant disease that would devastate Michigan agriculture and the food supply our nation depends on. This case should be fully prosecuted as a threat against our country. This is only further proof that American universities must be more vigilant when it comes to research security and the participation of Chinese nationals in these institutions.”
According to allegations, Liu lied to investigators last year while trying to transport the fungus through Detroit Metropolitan Airport. The academic journal “Food Security” describes Fusarium graminearum as causing blight in various field crops worldwide and producing toxins harmful to humans and livestock.
